Level of health extension service utilization and associated factors among community in Abuna Gindeberet District, West Shoa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND In Ethiopia, children and mothers have been facing several health problems due to poor access to modern health care facilities and lack of effective demand to utilize the available ones. In response to this, the Ethiopian government initiated the health extension program in 2003 to improve equity in access to preventive, promotive and selected curative health interventions through health extension program. However, the level of health extension service utilization is not known. Therefore, this study presents the level of health extension service utilization and associated factors. METHODS A community based cross sectional study was carried out from February to March 2012. Data was collected through face-to-face interview by using pretested structured questionnaires adopted from review of different related literatures and entered in to EPI Info version 3.5.1. Bivariate analysis between dependent and independent variables was performed. Multivariate analysis was also done to control for possible confounding variable by selecting variable which show statistically significant association (P < 0.2) in bivariate analyses to identify independent predictor factors. RESULTS The proportion of community utilization of health extension service was 39%. Age (AOR = 2.52; 95% CI = 1.53-4.15), occupation (AOR = 3.79; 95% CI = 1.64-12.5), knowledge of community on health extension service (AOR = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.18-0.36), community participation in planning of health extension activities (AOR = 0.22; 95% CI = 0.15-0.33) and graduation of model family (AOR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.47-0.76) have statistically significant association with community health extension services utilization. CONCLUSIONS The proportion of community utilization of health extension service was low. Age, occupation, knowledge of community on health extension service, community participation in planning of health extension activities and graduation of model family were identified as the independent factors affecting the community's utilization of health extension services.